Will car sharing affect my insurance?

THE simple answer is no, as long as you don't make a profit. Here's what the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has to say on car sharing:

"ABI motor insurers have agreed that your insurance cover will not be affected if your passengers contribute towards your journey costs (including fuel, vehicle depreciation and associated vehicle running costs), as long as lifts are given in a vehicle seating eight passengers or less.

"This does not apply if you make a profit from payments received or if carrying passengers is your business.

"But, we recommend that if you are part of a car-sharing scheme, you check the terms and conditions carefully and speak to your insurer to check you have the right level of cover."

“It’s easy money as I don’t go far out of my way to pick up or drop either of my sharers off.”

Car share schemes are proving increasingly popular for both drivers and passengers alike due to the high cost and hassle of travelling on Britain’s rail and road networks.

Rail companies have come in for severe criticism for hefty ticket prices, while delivering poor service.

Commuting by car is also notoriously expensive, thanks to rising petrol prices and high annual insurance costs.

Car sharing offers a way to reduce the cost of driving for those who can’t stomach the cost and annoyance of public transport.

To make it easy for drivers, car share websites include calculators that help you to set a fair charge for a journey.

Commuting by car can be notoriously expensive, thanks to rising petrol and high annual insurance costs

And there are more general calculators, such as Admiral’s Commuter Calculator, that estimate how long drivers sit in traffic, pay for fuel and even spend listening to the car radio.

Liftshare, which runs the Devon Car Share Gareth uses, recommended Gareth charge £3 a person per trip for his 24 mile journey to work, a fee he is very happy with.

Gareth said: “It’s hard to know what to charge, but as both the driver and passenger can plug the same details into the car share calculator and see the fair cost, this is a stress-free way of setting a price."

Car sharing also helps the environment and sanity of drivers by reducing the number of cars on the road, especially during rush hours.

For Gareth, meeting new people was a plus. “I’ve had quite a few car sharers over the past two years.

“Most of the time I have one or two people sharing, like the student I had over the summer.

“He’d bike over to me and I’d drive him to his work, which was over the road from my workplace.

“I currently share with a man who can’t drive for medical reasons. He works close by, although he lives a mile or so out of the way.”

How to stay safe when car sharing

IT'S understandable to be wary about travelling with a stranger, but following some simple steps will help settle those nerves.

Arrange to meet in a public place and keep full your full name and address details private until you are comfortable with your co-traveller.

Don’t feel pressurised to share with someone, even if you’ve previously agreed to do so.

When you arrange a share, tell a friend so someone is aware of your plans.

You might also want to ask to see your new travel partner’s driving licence, and ask for the make, model and registration number of the car, which you can check out on the government’s website.

Drivers could ask to see some proof of identity, such as passports or student IDs.

Some car sharing websites also enable you to check out driver and passenger reviews before commiting to any journeys.

Joining a scheme is an easy process. Would-be car sharers sign-up online, typically via Facebook or email, post a journey they would like to share, and wait for a match.

There are also car share websites that connect drivers and passengers.

Potential sharers simply message each other through the scheme’s secure network, and if they feel comfortable they are on their way.

The three biggest car share scheme providers in the UK are Blablacar.co.uk, Gocarshare.com, and Liftshare.com.

Gocarshare and Liftshare do not charge passengers or drivers to use their services. Instead, they make money by charging by companies or local authorities to sign up on behalf of their employees.

With Blablacar.co.uk, passengers pay a service fee, which is based on the price of the journey, but it's free for drivers.

The car share model is not new, but it has taken some time to take off, being driven by a desire to cut costs and greater familiarity with sharing schemes in general.

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